Media marketing system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and process is provided for distributing branding and content messages to wireless mobile devices such as mobile handsets. The system has a mobile media portal process that enables a content owner and one or more sponsors to cooperate in negotiating, planning, and executing a branding or content campaign. For a campaign, a set of consumers has indicated a desire to receive particular content information on their mobile handset, and may have used a web interface or their phone to provide demographic information and content choices. A media center interface, either automatically or under human control, associates a particular marketing message from a sponsor with the content information, and distributes the marketing message and information to the user&#39;s handset. Since the marketing message has been selected and adapted to the demographics and preferences of the user, it is likely that the user will positively respond to receiving the marketing message.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/556,501 filed Nov. 3, 2006, entitled, “Media MarketingSystem and Method” which application claims priority to U.S. patentapplication No. 60/733,132, filed Nov. 3, 2005, and entitled “MediaMarketing System and Method”, all which are incorporated herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

The field of the present invention is computer applications for managingand distributing marketing messages. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to a computer application and system for selecting anddistributing content information and brand messages to the mobilehandsets of a set of target users, and for generating metrics regardingthose messages.

As technology advances and consumers become more sophisticated, it hasbecome more difficult for advertisers, brands, or sponsors to reachtargeted consumer markets. For example, consumers are using devices likedigital video recorders (DVR) to bypass commercial messages ontelevision programs and viewing more pay-per-view and video-on-demand(VOD) programming. These latter broadcasting models are subscriptionbased, and therefore no advertising is typically allowed. For the moretraditional advertising models, it is therefore increasingly necessaryto offer commercial messages that consumers want to receive, otherwisethey will simply use current technology to avoid the message. Further,for messages that a consumer is interested in, the consumer is far morelikely to see or hear the message, and has the highest likelihood ofacting on the received message, for example, by making a response oreven purchasing a product.

Consumers are also aware that advancing technology makes more timely andrelevant information available to them. For example, near real timetraffic reports may be received from a website service or even deliveredto a mobile wireless handset. Even a particularly personal use, thetraffic service may be a way or all of a user's typical travel patterns,and may even detect the position of the users mobile wireless handset.In this way, the traffic information delivered to the user is highlypersonal to the user's current location and condition. More generally,consumers are expanding their view of media “content” from thetraditional video, music, wallpaper, and ring tones, to includepersonalized and specific information and data. Personalized data maybe, for example, information regarding a favorite team, location offriends, a child's progress in school, local traffic, or weatherupdates. Information adjusted or adapted for personal use is some of themost valued information, but no convenient vehicle has existed todeliver it to the consumer. Since users greatly value this personalizedinformation, users typically register and pay for subscription servicesfor this personalized content.

The traditional radio, TV, magazine, and newspaper advertising areintended for general distribution to a large diverse population. In thisregard, these advertisements are directed to large audiences, and do notprovide personal messages or data. Further, with so many advertisingplatforms, any advertising campaign is fragmented according to eachplatforms requirements, timing, and limitations. It is also verydifficult to measure the effectiveness of any ad campaign, or toattribute a success to any particular marketing message or tactic. Eventhough the goal of this traditional advertising is to stimulate anindividual, the mediums are so fragmented and unaccountable thatadvertising is priced on the cost per 1000 impressions. Stateddifferently, because these traditional mediums can not account forindividual reaction, they resort to pricing only on a guess as to howmany people may see the ad. Also, consumers are moving away from themore traditional static entertainment devices such as radio and TV, andrelying more on personal media devices, such as wireless handsets, formore entertainment services. These personal media devices are typicallycompact, may be portable, and are convenient, but the opportunity fordistributing targeted messages is limited. In a particular example, amobile wireless handset is used to provide entertainment and dataservices for consumer. The wireless mobile handset is a personal device,in much the same way a person carries a wallet or purse. A person'swireless handset is typically controlled and used by only 1 person, andis tuned to the specific desires and preferences of that user.Accordingly, a message sent to a wireless handset is almost certainlyreceived and viewed by the intended user. For many, the wireless mobilehandset is an indispensable personal and business tool that is nearlyalways close by, and represents the link to friends, family, andcoworkers, as well as a significant means of receiving entertainment andinformation. Since the wireless mobile handset is such a personaldevice, users are typically very selective on granting permissions tomarketing companies to send data and messages to their phone.

Sponsors or brands are interested in getting their marketing messages tothe handsets of users, but face significant hurdles in that customerstypically dislike unwanted “junk” messages, and are unfamiliar with howto assess the success of any mobile marketing campaign. Brands, today,are eager to invest in mobile branding initiatives but they arecautious. A significant issue in mobile branding, today, is the absenceof scale and trackability of metrics through third party companies. Inshort, the brands are ready to spend but they require actionable metricsto justify their investment. The amount of money brands will spenddirectly correlates with the usability of metrics, and the acceptance ofhandset users.

In a final example, consumers are also using portable music devices andsubscription satellite radio systems for receiving audio and musicentertainment. Again, these entertainment systems typically do not allowfor sponsor or brand advertisement. Accordingly, there is a need for adistribution system that enables sponsors to more effectively reachtargeted consumers using mobile entertainment devices.

SUMMARY

Briefly, the present invention provides a system and process fordistributing branding and content messages to wireless mobile devicessuch as mobile handsets. The system has a mobile media portal processthat enables a content owner and one or more sponsors to cooperate innegotiating, planning, and executing a branding or content campaign. Fora campaign, a set of consumers has indicated a desire to receiveparticular content information on their mobile handset, and may haveused a web interface or their phone to provide demographic informationand content choices. A media center interface, either automatically orunder human control, associates a particular marketing message from asponsor with the content information, and distributes the marketingmessage and information to the user's handset. Since the marketingmessage has been selected and adapted to the demographics andpreferences of the user, it is likely that the user will positivelyrespond to receiving the marketing message.

In one example, the content owner is the operator of a sporting event,and provides content in the form of timing updates, athlete interviews,event weather, and editorial commentary. Each type of information may beconsidered a “channel” of content information available for publicationto a user's mobile handset. Interested consumers may use a web interfaceto request to receive select one or more channels, and may providedemographic, handset, or carrier information as requested. The contentowner may also associate with a sponsor to generate revenue, with thesponsor paying to have its marketing message distributed along with thechannel information. Marketing messages are selected according to thedemographics and preferences of the users, and are adapted for appeal tothe selected users. A marketing message may be associated with channelinformation or content, so that the user that receives the channelinformation also receives relevant marketing messages. Since themarketing message has been adapted for that user, it is more likely thatthe user will be receptive to the marketing message, and is more likelyto take a responsive action.

Advantageously, the present invention enables content owners to provideconsumers with valuable and desired information content, whilemaintaining a positive relationship with the user. Also, the contentowner and sponsor are able to receive timely and accurate reportsregarding the metrics, effectiveness, and cost of the campaign.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of consumer, content provider, and sponsorrelationships in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of publisher, campaign, and channel hierarchyin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of a media marketing system in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile media portal in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a media distribution system in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a media distribution system in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a media distribution system in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of money and data flow in a media distributionsystem in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a menu hierarchy for a mobile media portalapplication in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9 are screen representations of a consumer web siteinterface for a mobile medial portal in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIGS. 10 through 18 are screen representations of an exampleimplementation of a mobile medial portal in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a relationship diagram shows a desirable commercialrelationship 10 between consumers, sponsors, and content providers.Diagram 10 illustrates that a sponsor desires to reach a specific targetconsumer as shown by circle 12. The desired target market may be definedby the sponsor according to type of product being sold, its price, orother characteristic. For example, a company selling extreme bicycles(BMX) may desire to reach males between the ages of 15 and 23. Moreideally, the sponsor would like to target those males that have attendedan extreme sporting event, purchased a skateboard, or otherwise haveindicated a willingness to spend money on extreme sporting goods orevents. It is this small subset of available consumers that would mostlikely react to this sponsor's message, and it is the same set ofconsumers that is most likely to willingly receive and read or watch themessage. The more accurately a sponsor may define and target anaudience, and the more likely the audience will be receptive to themessage, and the more effective the ad will be This target market may bedefined by customer demographics, such as age, location, residence, sex,or past buying habits, for example.

Sponsors need to be aware that consumers have a limited tolerance levelto advertisement messages. Today's consumers are continually barragedwith commercial messages, spam, and marketing interruptions. Eachconsumer has a different tolerance level, and even for a particularconsumer, the tolerance level may change due to the immediatecircumstance. If a sponsor delivers a message to the consumer when theyare over-saturated with messages, the message will not be effective inmotivating the consumer to react positively to the sponsor. Contrarily,the consumer may react negatively to the sponsor, feeling that thesponsor was rude, intrusive, or too aggressive. In this way, a sponsorshould consider consumer tolerance and consumer permissions in settingits target markets. As more fully described below, consumers are likelyto have a higher tolerance level for advertisements and messagesregarding products and services they are interested in.

Consumer interest is illustrated by circle 11. Consumers are interestedin seeing certain types of media content and also are likely to watchadvertisements that appeal to them. In a similar manner, contentproviders want to reach a particularly wide audience. Content may be forexample, concerts, sporting events, news events, movies, videos, audiofiles, or other news or entertainment content. Content may also includeother data, such as weather, traffic, location information, a child'sprogress in school, or other personalized data. Typically, content isprovided as video, audio, image, or text files that are broadcast to auser's personal media device. The content may be provided in a real-timeformat, or it may be provided in a delayed or taped manner. The contentmay also be characterized according to the type of audience that thecontent is likely to appeal to. For example, a classical music concertmay have an intended demographic of 40-60 year old married couples withhigh income, and who travel abroad regularly. Accordingly, a sponsor,such as an international resort agency, may search for the availablecontent providers and request to be a sponsor for the concert. Byassociating content with demographic factors, sponsors are assisted infinding content that closely aligns with their marketing message.

Particular value is established at the intersection between circles. Forexample, overlap area 17 shows an area where sponsors are tenderingadvertisements that consumers are interested in hearing, reading, orseeing. These consumers have been selected according their provenmessage tolerance, acknowledged interest level in the message's content,or specific demographic match. In this way, consumers presented ads inoverlap area 17 are highly likely to perceive and react to the ad. Inone example, the messages sent to a consumer may be responsive to thespecific position location of that consumer. These types of messages areparticularly relevant to the consumer, and have a high likelihood ofbeing received and acted upon. Take the instance where a consumer iswalking along a street early in the morning, and a sponsor knows thisconsumer has previously shown interest in coffee products. The sponsormay send a coupon to the consumer's wireless handset, and invite theconsumer to stop by the coffee shop a couple blocks ahead. The consumeris likely not annoyed by the message, as they are merely walking downthe street, and further may appreciate knowing where a convenient coffeeshop is located. The consumer may then stop by the coffee shop andredeem the electronic coupon. The sponsor may then receive a report thatthe coupon was redeemed. It will be appreciated that the cost of thesponsorship ad may be set responsive to the level of action taken by theconsumer. This example also illustrates that messages provided to mobilewireless devices may be readily measured, either by confirming the userread the message, or by tracking a response to a message or action. Byproviding for measurable and actionable metrics, a sponsor is confidentin the value, reach, and impact of an advertising campaign.

In a similar manner, when content overlaps what consumers want to view,overlap area 18 shows that consumers are likely to register for, payfor, and watch content. Finally, overlap area 19 shows where sponsorshave advertisements which meet the quality standards and commercialgoals of content providers, and the content is likely to attract thetype of audience that the sponsor is looking for. A particularlyvaluable overlap area 21 is established where content is mutuallyassociated with advertisements, and consumers are interested in both thecontent and the advertisement. For example, if a skateboarder iswatching a skateboard competition and a Tony Hawk commercial interruptsthe contest, it is highly likely that the consumer will continuewatching the advertisement. These high value marketing impressions areof great commercial value. Further, the mobile wireless handset enablesthe sponsor to form a one-to-one relationship with a consumer. Thesponsor may confirm that a particular individual watched a commercialmessage, invite and receive a response from that individual, and measureactions taken by the user. Such an intimate and personal relationship isenhanced through the use, by permission, of the users personal mobilehandset.

Generally, then, the method and system provided herein enables anefficient and effective matching of consumer interests, sponsorofferings, and content availability. In this way, content and sponsorsare presented to consumers with the highest likelihood that theconsumers want the ads and content, and will view and respond to theadvertisements. For example, the consumer may respond by immediatelyplacing a voice call or sending a text message, by redeeming anelectronic coupon, or by purchasing a product or service. The consumermay also initiate a wireless Internet session, or may purchase anoffered product at a later time, using either the wireless device or atraditional computer interface. Each of these responsive actionsprovides an avenue for measuring an individual user's reaction to acommercial message. The derived metrics are useful to the sponsor inevaluating effectiveness of the sponsorship campaign, and may also beused as demographic, which will assist in more accurately providingusers with useful and actionable information in future campaigns.

In managing the customer relationship, it is important that the sponsorsand content providers properly respect the consumer and the consumer'sinformation. The consumer has trusted the sponsor and content providerenough to give up some level of personal or demographic information.Accordingly, the sponsor and the content provider must not be seen bythe consumer as preying on the consumer, but must be perceived as addingvalue to the consumer's life. If the sponsor or content provider abusesthe consumer or their information, the consumer will quickly stopresponding to the sponsor and content provider, and may even developlong-term negative impressions.

In matching consumers, sponsors, and content, a mobile media portalsystem is provided. The mobile media portal is a software application orseries of related applications that enable a sponsor to reach a narrowlydefined set of consumers with particularly useful and desired commercialmessages and content. The mobile media portal may operate on one or moregeneral purpose computers, or may operate on systems particularlydesigned for this purpose. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the mobile mediaportal application 25 is operated or managed by a publisher 26. Thepublisher 26 is responsible for administering the operation of themobile media portal. The publisher may be, for example, an advertisingagency or a company with a popular and valuable brand. A publisher isable to administer several campaign owners 27. A campaign owner may be,for example, a division of company, a group in an ad agency working fora particular brand or the content provider. In a specific example, acontent provider operates a sporting event, and offers several types ofcontent information for distribution. In this example, the sportingevent acts as the campaign manager, and is able to define what contentwill be distributed, what set of consumers the content will be sent to,and what marketing messages are to be associated with their content. Insome cases, the campaign owner will also be the publisher.

Each campaign owner 27 is able to direct several campaigns. Thesecampaigns may be run concurrently or consecutively, and are used todeliver content to users. Also, the delivered content may haveassociated marketing messages that may be directed to influencing atarget audience regarding specific products or services. Each campaignmay have multiple channels 30 of content. Each content channel istypically designed to deliver a particular type of content or data to aconsumer. For example, a campaign organized around a sporting event mayhave a weather channel, a real-time score update channel, and anextra-curricular channel. A consumer typically selects which channelsthey want to receive, and the campaign associates desirable and relevantcommercial messages with the channel content. In this way, a consumerreceives requested channel content along with messages targeted to thatuser's preferences and characteristics.

As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the mobile media portal system 35 operates amobile media portal application 36. The mobile media portal application36, as described with reference to FIG. 1A, may operate many individualcampaigns, such as campaign 42. A campaign operator 40 manages thecampaign 42. Typically, the campaign operator is a human, but may besupplemented or supplanted with adaptive automatic control. The campaignoperator 40 interacts with the mobile media portal 36 through the mediacenter 41 interface. The media center 41 allows the campaign operatorto 1) select and define a target consumer set using consumer information39; 2) select and distribute content to the selected consumers; and 3)associate desired and relevant advertising messages with the content.The selected content and advertising messages may then the sent as oneor more messages 43 to the selected consumers 47. The consumers willview or use the content data, and will see and react to the advertisingmessage. Depending on the particular reaction made, user data 45 may becollected regarding the consumer's reaction to the advertising message.The user data 45 may be used to derive success metrics and reports 46,or settle monetary accounting. The mobile media portal system 35 therebyenables an effective, targeted, and measurable advertising campaign.

In system 35, the advertising messages 37 may be text, video, audio, orimages, and may be manually or automatically adapted to fit the userdemographic of the target consumer set. The content 38 may be real-timedata, a movie, a concert, a sporting event, an audio track, news event,or other content that a user would find informative or entertaining.Consumer information 39 may be received from a consumer that signs-up orsubscribes through a consumer web interface 44, and may contain datacollected from previous interactions or other sources. Some non-personalinformation may be received from the carrier that the consumer uses fortheir wireless handset. For example, the carrier may be able to provideinformation regarding type of handset used, type of calling or data planused, applications operable on their handset, and general geographicinformation. This information may be useful in selecting whatinformation to send to a consumer, as well as formatting the informationfor better viewing or interaction of the user's particular handset. Inone example, the mobile media portal can remove graphical informationfrom messages sent to a text-only handset. In another example, an ad mayinclude a live Java applet if the handset is known to have an operatingJava virtual machine.

Referring now to FIG. 2, mobile media portal system 50 may be acombination of hardware and software systems for enabling theassociation of content and sponsors in a way highly likely to appeal totargeted consumers. In this way, consumers are likely to receive contentand advertisements that interest them, thereby increasing theprobability that the consumer will perceive and react to the sponsor ad.Although the mobile media portal 50 is illustrated as a single system,it will be appreciated that the mobile media portal may be implementedas a distributed system, with certain aspects operating on one computersystem, and other aspects operating on one or more other computersystems. It will also be appreciated that the mobile media portal 50 mayreceive its information, (content, consumer information, sponsormessages, etc.) through networks, by physical input, by automatic orelectronic data feeds or connections, or through physical media. Mobilemedia portal 50 has a content provider that provides content or contentfiles 52. This content, may be, for example sports timing data, livevideo, live audio, video files, interviews, commentary, inspirationalmessages, health tips, training prompts, educational messages, scripts,or other messages. Mobile media portal 50 also has sponsor messages 76.Sponsor messages 76 may be for example, video advertisements, audioadvertisements, brand messages, coupons, or tag lines that are to beassociated with content information 52. These sponsor messages are thenmade available to the mobile media portal in sponsor file area 54.Consumer and distribution information 56 is also available to mobilemedia portal 50. Consumer data 69 may include consumer demographic data,mobile device identification information, mobile device capabilityinformation, geographic location, and preferences for the consumer.Consumer data may be collected from various sources, for example, aconsumer web interface 71 may be provided where consumers sign up forevents, games, or participate in some other registration process wherebasic consumer information is collected. Other consumer information maybe collected from other third parties or applications 73, or may becollected or derived from carrier data 72. It will be appreciated thatcarrier data 72 may include information from other entities in themobile message distribution path, such as aggregators or message routingcompanies. Mobile media portal 50 thereby has content files 52sponsorship files 54, and consumer files 56.

A selection process 60 is then used to match particular content 52 withparticular sponsors 54 for distribution to a targeted subset ofconsumers. In this way, the content is paired with ads, and both thecontent and ads are targeted to the specific group of consumers mostlikely to enjoy and watch the content and ads. The selection process 60may be done manually through a media center process or interface 65. Amedia center process 65 may be in the form of a computerized userinterface for use by a human operator. The human operator, may be acampaign operator, magazine publisher, radio program director, or TVprogram director, for example. The media center 65 manages delayed orlive content, and matches the content with sponsors who have paid forexposure or marketing impressions. The operator of the media center, ina near real-time environment, is able to monitor available content,available sponsors, and track consumers, to dynamically generate anddistributed messages to target consumers. In another example, theselection process 60 may have automatic features 63 or may be fullyautomated. In this way, an automated or live channel process selectsparticular content or portions of content, attaches particular ad orads, and selects consumer subsets likely to have interest in the contentand sponsorships.

The messages are then packaged for transmission to the consumer. In oneexample, a storage system 67 is provided for delayed transmission of thecontent. In a specific example of delayed programming, messages may bearranged into an on-going training program, inspirational program, faithprogram, or other on-going marketing program. In this way, messages arepredefined, but are transmitted over time according to a time schedule.The storage 67 may also be arranged to facilitate an on-demand feature.In this way, consumers may be made aware that programming is availablefor viewing, and then use video player like controls to start, stop,pause, or rewind content. The messages, whether distributed in real-timeor through a delay, are transmitted to the consumer through atransmission system 58. The transmission system 58 may include wirelessservice operators, wireless infrastructure operators, aggregators, andmessage routing services. The distribution of messages and media topersonal media devices is well known, so will not be discussed indetail. Personal media devices 78 may include, for example, mediaenabled mobile handsets, other mobile devices such as music players orpersonal data assistance, vehicles such as cars or commercial deliveryvehicles, and home entertainment systems and devices.

The mobile media portal may include or be associated with a matchingprocess to facilitate the introduction and coordination of sponsors andcontent providers. Referring now to FIG. 3, a media distribution systemis illustrated. Media distribution system 100 has a content provider 102that generates a media kit 108 setting out the information regardingcontent the provider has to offer. For example, the content provider maycomplete the media kit to indicate that it is offering a sporting eventat a particular time, place, and date. The media kit may also set outthe anticipated audience for the content, and define the target audienceaccording to demographic characteristics, such as age, location, sex,and income level, for example. The media kit may also define other knowninformation about the target audience, if known, such as type andcapability of handsets used, carrier information, and types of activedata plans. This type of data, which might be received throughcooperation with one or more carriers, aggregators, third-partyapplications, or on-line source, is useful for understanding the typesof messages that may be conveniently and receptively sent to a set ofusers. The content provider may also provide certain rules for using itscontent. For example, if the sporting event is a little leaguechampionship, then one rule may exclude tobacco, alcohol, adult orpolitical advertisements from its allowable types of sponsors.Distribution system 100 may provide an electronic framework or interfacefor the media kit. For example, the content provider may access fillableforms through a web site interface, and thereby be assisted incompleting a proper media kit and rules.

In a similar manner, a sponsor 104 may be assisted in generating aproduct kit 110 for the sponsor. The product kit may also set out theanticipated audience or market for the product, and define the targetmarket according to demographic characteristics, such as age, location,sex, and income level, for example. The product kit may also defineother known information about the target audience, and may indicate apreference for the type and format of content. The sponsor may set outthe type of ads that it would like to present, and also may specifyparticular rules. For example, a sponsor proposing cosmetic ads may notwant to have those ads displayed for any football, baseball, or hockeysporting event. By allowing sponsors and content providers to providerules, the distribution system 100 enables content providers andsponsors to control quality of their product and messages as perceivedby the consumer. Distribution system 100 also has a mutual selectionprocess 112 for assisting content providers and sponsor in associationfor a media campaign. In one example, the mutual selection process 112compares rules and desired pairings from kits 108 and 110, and invitesthe content provider and a sponsor to begin a campaign developmentproposal. The content provider and sponsor may then iteratively defineads 115, scripts, messages, coupons or other marketing programs toassociate with particular content 117. For example, the content providermay agree that a particular sponsor may add a message tag line everytime an inning of a baseball game ends and the scoreboard is shown. Inthis way, the content 117 would indicate that each time the scoreboardis shown at the end of an inning, a particular predefined tagline 115 isto be sent. The content 117 and ads 115 are then forwarded to the mobilemedia portal 123 where the ads and content are associated with aparticular target consumer, and the ads are distributed. Although theMMP 123 is illustrated as a separate external process, it will beappreciated that the matching process may be included as an integratedmodule within the MMP 123.

Consumers may provide consumer data for the distribution system 100through a consumer web interface 106. The consumer web interface allowsa consumer to register, play a game, or otherwise provide informationinto the system as shown in block 119. It will be appreciated that aconsumer interface may also be provided on a personal media device,handset, or may collected by interview or other method. The consumerdata may include, demographic information such as age, sex, andresidence location, and would include information regarding the personalmedia device. Information may also include biometric data, such asweight, that can be combined with other data to more particularly definemessages. The information may also include position location informationthat may change if the user is mobile. It will be apprenticed thatconsumer demographic information may be collected, purchased, orotherwise obtained using known processes, or may be collected or derivedfrom the user's carrier, for example. The mobile media portal (or thedistribution system) needs to know how to individually address a user'sdevice, so consumer data includes information on how to address and sendmessages to each consumer's device or devices. The mobile media portalalso desirably understands the capability of consumer devices. Forexample, some devices require reduced resolution video, while others maysupport much higher resolutions.

The consumer data 121 is made available to the mobile media portal 123.In this way the mobile media portal 123, either in real-time or after adelay, may associate ads 115 and content 117 with a subset of consumersand generate messages for distribution. These messages are thenforwarded to the transmission system 127 for transmission or broadcastto consumers. Some personal media devices have a reporting function forindicating that the consumer has actually opened and probably viewed aparticular message. If such a case, the distribution system 100 maycollect the information, and provide verifications and reports thatcontent and ads were opened and likely viewed by the consumer.Verification may also be collected or derived from other consumeractivities, such as placing a call, sending a message, forwarding amessage, making an on-line purchase, or derived from informationreceived from a carrier/aggregator or third-party application.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a media distribution system 150 is illustrated.Media distribution system 150 has a media kit 152 provided by a contentprovider. The media kit for the content provider may include rules onhow the content provider wants its content controlled, distributed, orlimitations on the types of sponsors and consumers that are to beconsidered. A product kit for sponsors 154 is also generated bypotential sponsors. The sponsors may also have rules on how they wanttheir product presented and how it is to be associated with content. Thesystem 150 may provide fillable forms, questionnaires, or otherautomated assistance to the content providers and sponsors forcompleting the media kits. Desirably, the media kits are in a standardformat for improved automatic matching and processing.

The media kits are received in to a matching center 156. The matchingcenter 156 has an automated or assisted matching function forassociating particular content providers with matching sponsors, and formatching particular sponsors with matching content providers. Theautomated or assisted matching program may contact, email or otherwisenotify content providers and sponsors that a potential match ispossible. It will be appreciated that messaging processes such as emailor instant messaging may be operated within the system 150, or thesystem 150 may connect to standard external messaging processes. Thematching center 156 may have negotiation logs which enable recordingtransaction history between the content provider and sponsor. Thesenegotiation logs may assist and facilitate negotiations, as well asprovide an accurate historical perspective of the interaction betweenthe content provider and the sponsor. During negotiation process, thecontent provider and sponsors may agree on additional quality assurancecontrols. For example, they may agree that advertisement cannot exceedmore than 5% of the time that content is being presented. These qualityassurance rules may then be used by the mobile media portal for furthercontrol of the distribution of messages.

The matching center 156 may also include campaign development tools. Forexample, matching center may have campaign development tools enabling asponsor to propose advertisements, messages, and coupons, and enable thecontent provider to approve those messages or other ads, or proposechanges. In this way, the campaign development process may be runsimultaneously with the negotiation process, thereby making the matchingand development process more efficient. As a result of this iterativeprocess of campaign development, a set of advertisements, scripts, ormessages may be developed. These sponsor messages 157 are then madeavailable to the mobile media portal 159, where the messages areautomatically or manually associated with content, and messagesdistributed to handsets for a targeted set of consumers.

When media content 160 is available, the mobile media portal 159 is ableto select from the available video, audio, images, or text messages 157to attach and associate with content or portions of the content. Duringdistribution operations, the mobile media portal has a list of availablesponsors, prepared advertisements or messages that have been preapprovedby the sponsor and content provider, and other information such ascommentary to attach to content. The mobile media portal may alsofacilitate a live narration or commentary to accompany the media content160.

Security controls may also be in place, for example, by limiting thedistribution of messages to adults only. The mobile media portal 159also has access to customer data, such as demographic information, anddevice identification and type. In this way, the mobile media portal isable to select and parse content, added additional narrative orcommentary to the live content, associate particular ads, and distributegenerated messages to a specific targeted audience. This enables themobile media portal to identify particularly high-value consumertargets, and timely provide them with desired and useful information.The generated messages are then sent for transmission 161. In somecases, full device identification and mobile device capability may notbe available to the mobile media portal, as it may be under the controlof the transmission service provider. In this case, the transmissionprovider would be passed a distribution list as well as a message to bedistributed. The transmission system 161 would then format the messagesaccording to device capability, and distribute the messages to the listof target consumers. If the consumer device supports verification, thenthe transmission system 161 would also verify that messages werereceived by the particular consumers.

The transmission system 150 may also include monetary and accountingfunctions. For example, part of the matching center process 156 mayinclude the content provider and sponsor agreeing on a cost and costbasis for the marketing program. More specifically, the sponsor mayagree to pay a per-impression price for each consumer that is verifiedto have received the sponsor message. Upon agreeing on the likely costof the program, the sponsor may place into an escrow bank 165 a retaineror other agreed upon amount of money. The mobile media portal 159 isalso aware of the amount of money in the escrow bank, and restrictionscan be placed on the number of ads distributed according to the amountof available funds in the escrow bank. For example, the sponsor may notbe allowed to have any more ads run, if the escrow bank goes to zero.The transmission system 161 is tied into reporting and accountabilityfunctions 167. In this way, when the transmission system has verifiedthat a consumer has received a particular sponsor's message, then theagreed-upon amount may be deducted from the escrow bank, and the moneyforwarded to the content provider. In this way, a sponsor is assuredthat it only pays for valuable market impressions, and payment is notfinalized until messages have been confirmed to have been received.

In another example, the sponsor and content provider may agree on amulti-tier cost basis. In this way, the sponsor will pay a smalleramount if a consumer perceives the message, and a progressively largeramount depending on how the consumer reacts. In this way, the mobilemedia portal supports dynamic and adaptive costing or revenue sharingaccording to measured consumer response. The consumer response may beseeing the message, making a desired message response, making a call,going to a website, redeeming a coupon, or making an online purchase.For example, if the consumer responds with a text message, the sponsormay pay a premium amount, and if the consumer redeems a coupon, may payan even larger amount. By enabling such a tiered and accountable messagesystem, a sponsor is able to more accurately relate its marketingexpenditure to consumer response.

This dynamic costing system can be extended to a relative ranking andcost for particular types of consumers. For example, since the mobilemedia portal is aware of how a particular consumer has reacted in thepast, the value of that consumer may be set according to past response.Take for instance the consumer that has never redeemed a coupon or madea verified purchase in response to a perceived message. Accordingly,that consumer may have a low valuation, even when they open and perceivea message. However, their may be a substantial premium attached to thisconsumer if a message causes this consumer to actually respond to amessage. In another example, the set of highly responsive consumers mayhave a very high valuation, although care must be taken not to exceedtheir level of message tolerance.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a media distribution system 200 is illustrated.Media distribution system 200 has content 204 provided as a content data203. The content provider data 203 may include content providerinformation that the content provider provides through a user interface202. In this way, the content provider may provide detailed informationas to the type of content it is providing, as well as specify the typesof target audiences and sponsors with which it wishes to be associated.The content may be real-time information, audio files, movie files,image files, text files, or other entertainment or news information. Thesponsors also provide sponsor information 209 into a sponsor data file208. The sponsors may use an interface 207 for providing informationregarding its target audiences, and the type of content with which itwishes to be paired. The information regarding the sponsor and thecontent is provided into a matching center 210. The matching center 210provides automated or assisted matching processes for matchingparticular content providers with particular sponsors. Part of theprocess of matching may also include developing scripts 212 or othermessages and ads for use during the actual campaign. These scripts 212or other marketing messages are then available to the mobile mediaportal 218 at time of distribution.

Mobile media portal 218 may be automated, or may have a media centerinterface 219 that enables an campaign operator to control broadcastingand message distribution functions. The media center may be used toassociate specific content with specific advertisements to betransmitted to a target audience. The audience data 216 has beencollected, for example, through an audience interface 214. This audienceinterface may include information regarding content or sponsors, forexample they are offering contests and games to encourage consumers toregister. The messages are then distributed to the target consumers, andthe market monitoring center 220 then accommodates accounting andreporting functions. For example, the monitoring center 220 may be madeaware of actual receipt of message files by consumers. This receiptinformation may then be used to generate reports, financial, andaccounting functions in an automated fashion.

The monitoring system 220 may also feed information back into mobilemedia portal 218. For example, security controls 222 may indicate thatsome consumers do not want to receive the messages or content, or mayadjust the types of messages sent to particular consumers. Thetransmission system 224 may also feed information back to the mobilemedia portal, to allow the mobile media portal to work more efficiently.For example, if messages are not being timely delivered, then the mobilemedia portal may make adjustments in the type of content or ads beingdistributed to improve timeliness of the messages.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a model 250 of how the mobile media portalgenerally manages money 273 and data 275 is shown. In a traditionaldelivery of content to a user's wireless mobile handset, the userselects content, such as a song or wallpaper, and pays the carrier forthe content as well as for delivering the purchased content to thehandset. The carrier (or an agent of the carrier), distributes some ofthe money to the owner of the content or to other third partyapplications that assisted in providing the content. This traditionalmodel places the carrier as the primary manager of the money, and haslimited the distribution of content and data services to handsets, aswell as insulating brands from direct contact with the users.

The model 250 enabled by the mobile media portal enables a brand to havegreater control over the messages that end up in the hands of targetconsumers, allows the brand to pay for messages and content to bedelivered to those users, and allows the brand to more accurately assessthe effectiveness of their marketing campaign. In a similar manner,model 250 enables a content owner to have greater control over howmessages are associated with their content, allows the brand to pay themfor the content, and opens up a wide and convenient method fordistribution. In model 250, which is just one of many possiblecommercial relationships, the brand 252 hires one or more agencies 254to execute a target mobile messaging campaign. The agency, eitherdirectly or indirectly, has a campaign operator 258 that interacts witha mobile media portal to define and execute the marketing campaign. Themobile media portal 258 is used to select target consumers, choosecontent 261 or applications 263 likely to be desired by the targetconsumers, and association appropriate branding messages with thecontent. The mobile media portal 258 cooperates with aggregators 265 andcarriers 267 to deliver the messages to each targeted consumer 271.Using this model 250, the brand is enabled to pay the agency, operator,content provider, aggregator, and carrier to deliver the desired contentand marketing message directly to an individual user.

Data 275 may also be retrieved directly from the consumer, the carrier,and the aggregator or third-party application. The data may be used bythe mobile media portal to adapt the current marketing campaign, adjustthe next campaign, or used to support reporting to the agency or brand.The data may also be used to support accounting and settlement betweenthe brand and any of the other entities. For example, the brand may paya premium to a content owner if certain action benchmarks are met, orthe brand may only pay a carrier for confirmed delivered messages.

The mobile media portal may be constructed as one or more softwareapplications operating on a general purpose computer system. FIG. 7shows one example of how a menu structure 300 for a mobile media portalmay be arranged. It will be appreciated that the mobile media portal 303may be implemented in many different forms consistent with thisdisclosure. Menu 300 has a home page 303 that is used to accessmessages, receive or send announcements, and receive help or tutorialinformation. The home page 303 also allows an authorized administratorto select other top level functions, such as user administration 311.The user administration function allows a system administrator to defineprofiles for users, set access limits, and generally manage the mobilemedia portal application. The user administration 311 function may alsoallow system administrator to define which users may view, create, oredit specific campaigns, as well as define which users may view, create,or edit specific channels.

Authorized users may use the campaign manager 313 function to create oredit campaign owners, campaigns, and channels. For example, anauthorized user may define which channels will be used in a particularcampaign, and select and form advertising messages to be used in supportof a particular sponsor. Once campaigns and channels are defined, anauthorized user may use the media center 315 function to manage theselection and distribution of content and messages to selected wirelesshandsets. The media center 315 may have functions for automaticallypopulating live channels, or may include facilities for manually sendingmessages.

The mobile media portal may also integrate or connect to processes forinviting sponsors 318 or assisting in the development of campaigns. Theinvite sponsor 318 function may include automated, partially automated,or manual functions for mutually matching sponsors and contentproviders. Matching may include assistance in creating and presentingmedia/product kits, and facilities for managing correspondence betweensponsors and content providers.

The mobile media portal 300 also allows a sponsor to perform a campaignsearch 320. Using this feature, a sponsor is able to search forhistorical or active campaigns that match with the appeal of thatsponsor's product or service. Automated search routines may usedemographic or preference information in the sponsor's product kit, orthe search may be performed manually. By identifying existing campaignsof interest, the sponsor is able to identify content providers that maybe interested in developing a future campaign using the sponsor'smarketing messages. In some cases, the sponsor may also be looking foractive campaigns to immediately participate in.

The menu 300 may also provide report 322 functions, which allowscollected data to be analyzed and presented. The reports may be printed,or may be electronically provided to other local or remote processes. Inthis way, measured consumer response may be used to adapt local orremote processes, for example, the cost of impressions. As illustrated,there are many types of metrics and reports that may be generatedaccording to campaign requirements.

FIGS. 8 through 18 illustrate screen representations of a softwareapplication implementing a mobile media portal and distribution system.These figures are only representative of one possible implementation,and it will be appreciated that many other implementations and designsmay be used in accordance with the systems and process described herein.Each figure is briefly described below.

FIG. 8A shows a home page for a consumer web interface that invitesvisitors to request interesting content information. The specificillustration of FIG. 8A is directed to users having an interest inextreme sports such as Ironman® competitions and marathons. Consumersare draw to this site due to its ability to direct high quality,interesting, and timely information directly to the use's handset. FIG.8A also illustrates an initial association between the desired content(e.g. Ironman®) and sponsors having products that are likely tointeresting to the user (e.g. Timex® products). In order to receivespecific content, the user first is directed to a subscription pages,such as the page illustrated in FIG. 8B. The page of FIG. 8B allows aconsumer to enter personal information such as name, location, and otherdemographic information, as well as other preferences. It will beappreciated that a wide variety of information may be collected usingsuch an interface. The web interface also allows collection of mobilehandset information such as mobile number and carrier. It would also bepossible to collect information regarding the capability of the user'sphone, or in some cases, that information may be obtained from thecarrier.

FIG. 9 shows a consumer web interface that allows a user to selectspecific channels of information. For the channels selected, particularinformation will be sent to the user's mobile handset. For example, ifthe user selects the “Norman Stadler” channel, the user can expect toreceive 2 or 3 messages a week to their mobile handset, with eachmessage having information regarding Norman's preparation for the nextIronman® competition. As described previously, selected and targetedmarketing messages may also be sent along with the channel informationalmessages.

FIG. 10 shows an example home page for a media center interface. Thehome page may have security log-in features, as well as provide formessages and announcements. In one example, if the user is a campaignoperator, the messages may be from sponsors interested in paying to havetheir marketing messages distributed with that event's content. If thecampaign operator is interested in the sponsor, the mobile media systemhas other tools for facilitating negotiation and campaign developmentbetween the content owner and the sponsor, as previously described. Itwill be appreciated that many other types of information may bepresented in a home screen, and that the home screen may be adapted tothe specific requirements for a user.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show example pages of a campaign manager. These pagesare used, for example, by the publisher or campaign owner to build ormanage campaigns. The publisher or campaign owner is able to view,delete, edit, and add campaign owners, as well as associate specificcampaign owners with specific campaigns. As previously described, thecampaign owner may be the entity providing the content, and in somecases, will also be the publisher. The campaign owner is able to add,edit, delete, and view campaigns, as shown in the example pagesillustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. As shown in the example pagesillustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the campaign owner is allowed to add,edit, delete, and view channels that are available in a campaign.

FIG. 17A shows an example page of a media center interface that allows acampaign operator to send a text message in near-real time to userssubscribed to a particular channel. Here, the campaign operator selectsa particular campaign owner, a particular campaign managed by thecampaign owner, and a particular channel within the campaign. In thisway, the message is sent only to those users that have requested thistype of content information, and therefore will be very receptive to themessage. FIG. 17A illustrates content as a real time message to users,but it will be appreciated that content may take the form of an audiofile, video file, streaming video, image, automated timing data,location data, progress data, for example. As illustrated in FIG. 17B, amarketing message may also be sent to users, and since the marketingmessage is selected to appeal to those receiving the text message, it islikely the users also will respond positively to the marketing message.The marketing message may be sent automatically along with the contentmessage, or may be sent separately. As illustrated in FIG. 17B, themedia center interface may also account for the number of marketingmessages sent, or allow real-time tracking of the marketing cost orremaining budget.

FIG. 18 shows an example page of just one of many reports available inthe mobile media portal. This report shows a message-by-messageaccounting of how many users received each specific message. In thisway, a sponsor is able to adjust marketing messages and strategiesresponsive to immediate information, or may use the information tosettle payments at a later time. This immediate, accurate, andverifiable impression information is valuable to sponsors, and whencombined with other available measurements and metrics, enables eventmanagers and sponsors to maximize sponsor impact, will maintainingpositive consumer relationships.

While particular preferred and alternative embodiments of the presentintention have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that many variousmodifications and extensions of the above described technology may beimplemented using the teaching of this invention. All such modificationsand extensions are intended to be included within the true spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A media control process comprising: retrieving,by a computer, an advertisement from a set of advertisements based on arequest for media content received by the computer via a network, theadvertisement having a target audience defined according to one or moredemographic characteristics and according to one or more preferencesthat match the media content associated with the request; selecting, bythe computer, a distribution list of selected consumers from a set ofavailable consumers according to consumer information associated witheach of the consumers in the set of available consumers, each of theselected consumers in the distribution list being associated with amobile device, each of the mobile devices having a device capabilitydefining a display resolution; receiving, by the computer from a contentprovider via a network, the media content associated with the request;generating, by the computer, a distribution message for transmission toeach mobile device associated with the selected consumers in thedistribution list, the distribution message comprising at least part ofthe media content and the advertisement; formatting by a transmissionsystem a distribution message according to the device capability foreach mobile device associated with the selected consumers in thedistribution list; receiving, by a matching system associated with thecomputer, a cost basis for the distribution message based on anagreement between a provider of the media content and a sponsor of themedia content; verifying, by the transmission system, that thedistribution message has been received by a mobile device associatedwith at least one consumer; and determining, by the computer based oneach verified receipt of the distribution message, a revenue share ofthe cost basis to the provider of the media content.
 2. The method inaccordance with claim 1, wherein determining the revenue share of thecost basis further includes determining a revenue share of the costbasis to any third party application that assisted in providing thecontent.
 3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the revenueshare of the cost basis is based at least in part on the agreementbetween the provider of the media content and the sponsor of the mediacontent.
 4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the displayresolution defined by the device capability is associated withdisplaying video content associated with the media content.
 5. Themethod in accordance with claim 4, wherein the media content includesvideo content, and wherein the formatting includes formatting the videocontent associated with the media content in the distribution messageaccording to the display resolution of each mobile device.
 6. The methodin accordance with claim 1, wherein the consumer information is derivedin part from carrier data associated with the mobile device of eachconsumer.
 7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the carrierdata includes information from entities that manage mobile messaging forthe mobile device of each consumer.
 8. A media control processcomprising: retrieving, by a computer, an advertisement from a databasebased on a request for media content received by the computer via anetwork, the advertisement having a target audience defined according toone or more demographic characteristics and according to one or morepreferences that match the media content associated with the request;generating, by the computer, a distribution list for a distributionmessage, the distribution message comprising at least part of the mediacontent and the advertisement, the distribution list comprising aportion of available consumers, each of the selected consumers in thedistribution list being associated with a mobile device, each of themobile devices having a device capability defining a display resolutionfor displaying video content associated with the media content;receiving, by the computer from a content provider via a network, mediacontent associated with the request; generating, by the computer, adistribution message for transmission to each mobile device associatedwith the selected consumers in the distribution list; formatting by atransmission system a distribution message according to the devicecapability for each mobile device associated with the selected consumersin the distribution list, the formatting including formatting videocontent associated with the media content in the distribution messageaccording to the display resolution of each mobile device; receiving, bya matching system associated with the computer, a cost basis for thedistribution message based on an agreement from a provider of the mediacontent and a sponsor of the media content; verifying, by thetransmission system, that the distribution message has been received bya mobile device associated with at least one consumer; and determining,by the computer based on each verified receipt of the distributionmessage, a revenue share of the cost basis to the provider of the mediacontent.
 9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein determiningthe revenue share of the cost basis further includes determining arevenue share of the cost basis to any third party application thatassisted in providing the content.
 10. The method in accordance withclaim 8, wherein the revenue share of the cost basis is based at leastin part on the agreement between the provider of the media content andthe sponsor of the media content.
 11. A method comprising: receiving, bya matching system associated with a computer, an agreement from aprovider of media content and a sponsor of the media content on a costbasis for a distribution message that includes the media content, thecomputer formatting the distribution message for transmission to one ormore mobile devices over a mobile communications network; verifying, bya transmission system coupled with the computer, that the distributionmessage has been received by a mobile device associated with at leastone consumer; and determining, by the computer upon verification by thetransmission system that the message has been received, a revenue sharefor the provider of the media content according to the cost basis. 12.The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the cost basis includesa plurality of tiers, each tier of the plurality of tiers of the costbasis being based on an action by the at least one consumer associatedwith the distribution message received by the mobile device, the actionbeing represented in a signal transmitted to the computer from themobile device.
 13. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein theaction by the at least one consumer includes at least one of, via themobile communications network: the at least one consumer clicking on alink to the media content; the at least one consumer redeeming anelectronic coupon associated with the media content; the at least oneconsumer making an online purchase of a good or service via the mobiledevice; the at least one consumer placing a call using the mobiledevice; or the at least one consumer sending a message via the mobiledevice.
 14. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the actionby the at least one consumer includes receiving, by the computer, anindication the at least one consumer responded to the distributionmessage with a text message from the mobile device.
 15. The method inaccordance with claim 11, further comprising: measuring, by thecomputer, a response by the at least one consumer to the receipt of thedistribution message; and wherein the determining of the revenue shareis based at least in part on the response by the at least one consumer.16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the responseincludes an electronic representation of an action by the at least oneconsumer with the distribution message received by the mobile device,the action being represented in a signal transmitted to the computerfrom the mobile device.
 17. A method comprising generating, by acomputer, a distribution message for transmission to one or more mobiledevices associated with each of one or more consumers in a distributionlist, the distribution message comprising media content provided by aprovider of the media content, and an advertisement provided by asponsor of the media content; formatting, by a transmission systemassociated with the computer, the distribution message according to adevice capability for each mobile device associated with the one or moreconsumers in the distribution list, the formatting including formattingvideo associated with the media content in the distribution messageaccording to a display resolution of each mobile device; receiving, by amatching system associated with the computer, a cost basis for thedistribution message based on an agreement between a provider of themedia content and a sponsor of the media content; verifying, by thetransmission system, that the distribution message has been received bya mobile device associated with at least one of the one or moreconsumers of the distribution list; and determining, by the computerbased on each verified receipt of the distribution message, a revenueshare to the provider of the media content in accordance with a revenuesharing model.
 18. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein theverifying is derived at least in part by an action by the at least oneconsumer with the distribution message received by the mobile device,the action being represented in a signal transmitted to the computerfrom the mobile device.
 19. The method in accordance with claim 18,wherein the action by the at least one consumer includes at least oneof, via the mobile communications network: the at least one consumerclicking on a link to the media content; the at least one consumerredeeming an electronic coupon associated with the media content; the atleast one consumer making an online purchase of a good or service viathe mobile device; the at least one consumer placing a call using themobile device; or the at least one consumer sending a message via themobile device.
 20. The method in accordance with claim 19, wherein thecost basis includes a plurality of tiers, each tier of the plurality oftiers of the cost basis being based on the action by the at least oneconsumer with the distribution message received by the mobile device.